A POWERFUL nor’easter has brought the entire coast to a standstill, triggering hundreds of flight changes, sporting event and music festival cancellations, and fears of dangerous flooding.
The storm is starting to make its way up the East Coast, forcing millions of Americans to prepare for potential flooding, fierce wind conditions, and power outages.
The nor’easter is expected to intensify on Friday and will bring rainfall across multiple states, including New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, over the next 72 hours.
North Carolina’s Outer Banks and the Mid-Atlantic coast have already seen intense winds, high tide flooding, and beach erosion.
Forecasters have warned that New England will see the worst of the storm.
Boston is expected to see some of the highest rainfall totals, with forecasters predicting three to five inches of rain.
Hartford, Connecticut should see between two and 3.5 inches of rain inland, while Providence, Rhode Island, will also see around three to five inches of persistent heavy rain.
Portland, Maine, will see rain ramping up as the nor’easter makes its way north in New England, with residents expected to see two to four inches of rain.
Travel advisories are already in effect for New York, which could see between two and three inches of rain while Philadelphia should see one to two inches of steady rain.
Governor Kathy Hochul of New York declared a state of emergency for the Big Apple, Westchester County, and Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island.
Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC will see moderate conditions, with half an inch to just over an inch of rain expected in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Sixty-one million Americans are at risk of potential power outages.
Ballgames moved up
The storm has thrown the remaining MLB schedule into disarray ahead of the postseason.
The league was forced to reschedule a slew of games involving the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, and Baltimore Orioles.
The Bronx Bombers were scheduled to play the Orioles on Friday and Sunday, but will now play a double-header on Friday due to the impending storm.
The Cubs and Red Sox matchup was also moved from its Sunday timeslot to Friday.
Cords pulled
Multiple music festivals across the East Coast were forced to cancel their shows one day before a throng of fans was set to arrive.
The annual Global Citizen Music Festival was scheduled to take place over the Great Lawn in New York’s Central Park on Saturday, but the organizers announced on Friday that the event will no longer go ahead.
The cancellation marks the first time in the festival’s 14-year history that the event has been called off.
The event was supposed to be headlined by Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, who were set to reunite for a special performance celebrating the 30th anniversary of the iconic Fugees‘ album, The Score.
Other big names that were tapped to perform this year included John Legend, Lenny Kravitz, Victoria Monét, country star Lainey Wilson, the South Korean boy band TOMORROW X TOGETHER, and singer Alicia Keys.
For fans who had secured tickets, Global Citizen said refunds will be processed automatically.
The All Things Go NYC Festival was also canceled because of the severe weather conditions expected to pummel the Big Apple this weekend.
Adding to the music industry turmoil on the East Coast this weekend was the abrupt cancellation of Ed Sheeran’s Massachusetts concerts.
Sheeran, 35, was supposed to play two shows on Friday and Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, but was unexpectedly axed.
A representative for the stadium told TMZ that the difficult decision to cancel Sheeran’s shows was due to the severe weather forecast.
Moreover, the organizers for the Oceans Calling Festival were forced to cancel its weekend performances.
Ticketholders will be fully and automatically refunded to their original form of payment.
The festival was scheduled to take place in Ocean City, Maryland, from Friday to Sunday.
The rock band AC/DC’s show at MetLife Stadium on Friday also fell victim to the powerful storm.
MetLife Stadium informed concertgoers hours before the show’s start that the event will be rescheduled to a new date.
Flights grounded
The impending weather phenomenon has already caused a travel meltdown for major airlines across the East Coast.
American Airlines, JetBlue Airways, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Southwest Airlines have all issued a travel alert for passengers flying late Friday and over the weekend.
JetBlue Airways issued the warning for 11 airports in the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions.
United Airlines said customers flying out of 10 major airports in the Northeast can rebook for free if they are scheduled to fly Friday to Sunday.
American Airlines also said passengers can rebook at no extra cost if they are due to fly in or out of 16 airports from Virginia to Maine Friday through Sunday.
Here is the weekend forecast along the East Coast:
Friday Forecast
Rain is expected to begin in several areas late in the afternoon on Friday and will continue into the evening.
The storm is expected to bring heavy and continuous beach battering as the wind field approaches the coast, according to Fox Weather.
In the Outer Banks and Mid-Atlantic region, wind gusts will hit 40 to 50mph, with areas just off the coast expected to see winds reach 60mph.
Offshore waves could reach as high as 15 to 18 feet, and escalating coastal flooding is expected as trapped water prevents drainage during high tides.
Along the New Jersey Shore, onshore gusts are expected to reach up to 35 to 45mph, with widespread moderate high-tide flooding.
Light showers are expected Friday afternoon into the evening for Long Island, Southern New England, and Boston.
Rain should start up in New York City by the middle of the afternoon on Friday, with gusts likely to be up to 40mph.
There is a chance for coastal flooding in eastern and northern Queens, in addition to parts of southern Brooklyn and Staten Island, late on Friday.
Saturday Forecast
Peak nor’easter conditions are expected on Saturday, with the worst impacts beginning in the morning.
Heavy rain will drench most of the Northeast throughout the day until the storm starts to stall in the evening.
In the Boston metro area and parts of coastal Massachusetts, pounding rain will bring flooding to streets, and winds will reach upwards of 50 to 60mph late in the day.
Long Island, New York, will see stronger winds on Saturday and heavy waves along the south-facing beaches.
Waves are expected to remain high at around 15 to 18 feet in the Outer Banks and New Jersey.
Ongoing beach erosion is also expected in those areas, with persistent flooding expected amid high tide cycles.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/17057283/noreaster-state-forecast-rain-level-boston-new-york/
